This measure would state that the Legislature supports and encourages the development and expansion of a California health care delivery system that identifies patient centered medical homes and is based upon certain principles of coordination of patient care.
This measure would urge the Governor to identify evidence-based solutions to reduce children's exposure to adverse childhood experiences, address the impacts of those experiences, and invest in preventive health care and mental health and wellness interventions.
This measure would acknowledge the history of the Chinese in California, recognize the contributions made to the State of California by Chinese Americans and Chinese immigrants, and apologize for past discriminatory laws and constitutional provisions that resulted in the persecution of Chinese living in California.
(1) Existing law authorizes a court, in any contested child custody or visitation rights proceeding, to appoint a child custody evaluator to conduct a child custody evaluation, as specified, if the court determines it is in the best interests of the child. Existing law requires the child custody evaluator, if directed by the court, to file a written confidential report on his or her evaluation at least 10 days before any hearing regarding the custody of the child with the clerk of the court, as specified. Existing law requires this report to be served on the parties or their attorneys, and any other counsel appointed for the child. Existing law otherwise prohibits the disclosure of the report, except in certain probate guardianship proceedings, as specified. Existing law requires the information from a report containing psychological evaluations of a child or recommendations regarding custody or visitation submitted to the court in any proceeding involving child custody or visitation rights to be contained in a document that is to be placed in the confidential portion of the court file. Existing law applies this requirement to, among other things, the written confidential report described above, child custody or visitation recommendations made to the court pursuant to mediation proceedings, and a written statement of issues and contentions put forth by a child's appointed counsel. Existing law prohibits these reports and recommendations from being disclosed, except to specified persons, including, among others, a party to the proceeding or his or her attorney, a federal or state law enforcement officer, a court employee acting within the scope of his or her duties, a child's appointed counsel, or any other person upon order of the court for good cause. This bill would additionally authorize the disclosure of this confidential information to the licensing entity of a child custody evaluator and would prescribe the manner in which the licensing entity is authorized to use the confidential information disclosed to it, as specified. This bill would make a clarifying change to authorize the disclosure of a child custody evaluator's written confidential report pursuant to the provisions described above. The bill would delete an obsolete provision relating to the written statement of issues and contentions put forth by a child's appointed counsel. (2) Existing law requires a board, as defined, within the Department of Consumer Affairs, upon receipt of any complaint respecting a licensee, to notify the complainant of the initial and final action taken on his or her complaint, as specified. Existing law requires the board, when it deems appropriate, to notify the person against whom the complaint is made of the nature of the complaint and authorizes the board to request appropriate relief for the complainant and to meet and confer with the complainant and the licensee in order to mediate the complaint. This bill would, notwithstanding any other law, require the board, upon receipt of a child custody evaluation report, as specified, to notify the noncomplaining party in the underlying child custody dispute, who is a subject of that report, of the pending investigation.
This measure would declare the 3rd week of September 2014, and the 3rd week of September in each subsequent year, as Mitochondrial Disease Awareness Week.
(1) Existing federal law requires the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) within the United States Department of Transportation, to adopt minimum safety standards for pipeline transportation and for pipeline facilities, including an interstate gas pipeline facility and intrastate gas pipeline facility, as defined. Existing law authorizes the United States Secretary of Transportation to prescribe or enforce safety standards and practices for an intrastate pipeline facility or intrastate pipeline transportation to the extent that the safety standards and practices are regulated by a state authority that submits to the secretary annually a certification for the facilities and transportation. Existing law authorizes a state authority that has submitted a current certification to adopt additional or more stringent safety standards for intrastate pipeline facilities and intrastate pipeline transportation only if those standards are compatible with the minimum standards prescribed by the PHMSA. The Natural Gas Pipeline Safety Act of 2011, within the Public Utilities Act, designates the Public Utilities Commission as the state authority responsible for regulating and enforcing intrastate gas pipeline transportation and pipeline facilities pursuant to federal law, including the development, submission, and administration of a state pipeline safety program certification for natural gas pipelines. The act requires the commission, by July 1, 2012, to open an appropriate proceeding or expand the scope of an existing proceeding to establish compatible emergency response standards that owners or operators of certain commission-regulated gas pipeline facilities would be required to follow. The standards require owners or operators of intrastate transmission and distribution lines to implement emergency response plans that are compatible with PHMSA's regulations concerning emergency plans. This bill would require a gas corporation to provide not less than 3 working days' notice, as specified, to the administration of a school or hospital prior to undertaking nonemergency excavation or construction of a gas pipeline when the work is located within 500 feet of the school or hospital. The bill would require the gas corporation to maintain a record of the date and time of any notification provided to the administration of a school or hospital prior to undertaking nonemergency excavation or construction of a gas pipeline and any subsequent contacts with the administration of a school or hospital relative to the excavation or construction and the actions taken, if any, in response to those subsequent contacts, and would require the records to be maintained and available for inspection for no less than 5 years from that date of notification. (2) Under existing law, a violation of the Public Utilities Act or any order, decision, rule, direction, demand, or requirement of the commission is a crime. Because the requirements of this bill are within the act, a violation of these requirements would impose a state-mandated local program by creating a new crime. (3) The California Constitution requires the state to reimburse local agencies and school districts for certain costs mandated by the state. Statutory provisions establish procedures for making that reimbursement. This bill would provide that no reimbursement is required by this act for a specified reason.
The Z'berg-Nejedly Forest Practice Act of 1973 prohibits a person from conducting timber operations on timberland unless a timber harvesting plan has been prepared by a registered professional forester and has been submitted to the Department of Forestry and Fire Protection and approved by the Director of Forestry and Fire Protection or the State Board of Forestry and Fire Protection. Existing law establishes minimum acceptable stocking standards and provides that an area covered by a timber harvesting plan is considered acceptably stocked if certain conditions are met within 5 years after completion of timber operations, including that the area contains an average point count of 300 per acre, as provided. Existing law requires the board to adopt stocking standards for each district, after a public hearing, that are equal to or stricter than the minimum standards. This bill would authorize the board to adopt alternative stocking standards if those alternative standards reasonably address variables in forest characteristics and achieve suitable resource conservation, as provided.
This measure would declare August 2014 as Valley Fever Awareness Month.
This measure would state the Legislature's support for the memorandum of understanding for establishing strategic partnerships between California and Israel.
This measure would urge the United States Department of Transportation and other relevant federal entities to (1) safeguard communities and environmentally sensitive areas from rail accidents involving transportation of crude oil by expediting rail safety reforms, (2) prioritize safety considerations over cost-effectiveness in deliberations about improving the transport of crude oil by rail, (3) mandate, at a minimum, the best practices explained in a 2014 safety initiative, as specified and (4) partner with the Canadian Transportation Agency to improve safety of the North American railroad tank car fleet by swiftly adopting a stricter design standard, and by retrofitting or phasing out tank cars that do not meet that standard.
